Flexible plastic water pipes made of e.g. cross-linked polyethylene PEX are commonly used to form the tap water networks as well as heating water networks or, more generally, heating medium networks in buildings. To protect the actual water pipe (or, more generally, a “medium pipe” for any fluid to be led in the pipe) and, on the other hand, to collect the possible leak water from damaged water pipes or leaking connections, the water pipe is often covered by a protective tube. This is the case especially in tap water systems, but protective pipes may be used in heating systems as well.
Water pipes for tap water and heating purposes, such as those made of PEX, are typically relatively rigid structures, however allowing certain bending thereof. Bending of such pipes is required, for example, for bending a heating pipe running in a floor (or ceiling) structure upwards (downwards), out of the floor structure so that it can be connected to a radiator or a manifold. Correspondingly, a tap water pipe running inside a wall structure shall be bent out of the wall structure for being connected to a tap assembly.
One conventional solution to the latter application is a wall box with an inner tap elbow forming the actual bend. The water pipe is connected to one end of the tap elbow, whereas the actual tap assembly is connected to the opposite end thereof. However, a termination box is not suitable for applications where connections of water pipes inside wall or floor structures are to be avoided.
According to another approach, a bend of the water pipe itself is formed within a wall, floor, or ceiling structure, and the bent pipe is brought out of such structure. In this approach, the connection to a tap assembly, a radiator, or a manifold is made outside the structure.
Due to the rigid nature of the typical water pipes, certain force is required to bend the pipe. On the other hand, firm support is required to maintain the bent pipe permanently in its bent state.
Various bend fixtures and bend support elements are known. As one example, a wall bend fixture is disclosed in EP 2014838 B1. The disclosed wall bend fixture comprises an in passage and an out passage to receive a water pipe with a protective pipe thereon. The in passage is formed by a first pipe holder with a half circular cross section, whereas the out passage is formed by a passage part. Between the in passage and the out passage, there is a pipe holder with radial curvature intended to support the protective pipe. EP 2014838 B1 also discloses a wall bend fixture in which an in passage and an out passage are formed by a supportive section which is divisible into two portions.